A man who kidnapped a girl and sexually assaulted her as she walked in Harlow has been found guilty by an unanimous jury following a six-day trial.

Darren Sellen, 41, of Church Leys, Harlow, was found guilty of kidnap, kidnap with intent to commit a sexual assault and sexual assault on a child under 13 at
Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, July 30. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, August 31.

At around 3.30pm on Thursday, November 2, 2017, a girl was walking across Tillwicks Road when Sellen came from behind her and put his hands over her mouth and eyes.

He then dragged her towards some garages before touching her in a sexually motivated way.

The victim, aged under 13, managed to call for help before Sellen ran off. Two people quickly came to her aide before calling police.

After carrying out a review of CCTV in the area, Sellen was Seen wearing the same clothing described by the victim. He was later also caught on camera fleeing the crime scene.

Investigating officer DC Ryan Burgess, of Harlow CID, said: “Sellen is a sexual predator and a dangerous individual who put a young girl through an horrific and frightening ordeal.

“I would like to praise her for her bravery during this investigation. She showed an enormous amount of courage by giving key descriptions of Sellen and telling us how his actions affected her and still do.

“Sellen has shown no remorse for his actions and has continued to deny these crimes, forcing the victim and her family to relive the incident at court. He will now hopefully receive a lengthy custodial sentence for his actions.”